Follow the team all season long with the 20-Second Timeout blog by Bill Schoening, The Radio Voice of the Spurs for the past nine years. Bill has over 30 years of play-by-play experience including broadcasting Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA. *Timeout Archive: October 09 | November 09 | December 09 | January 10 | February 10


Taking Up the Slack
by Bill Schoening | March 10, 2010

At a Monday morning shootaround in Cleveland, about 40 hours after he learned that longtime backcourt mate Tony Parker could be lost for the season with a broken bone in his hand, Manu Ginobili was honest and direct.

Ginobili stated, "It is a tough break with Tony going down, but we now have to all step up. I am still optimistic that we can get it done with the players we have here, but it will take a great effort."

A few hours later, Ginobili put on a dazzling display, pumping home a season high 38 points in a tough two point loss at Cleveland. A long distance right wing jumper by Manu with 14.9 seconds remaining would have tied the game, but a shot that was originally called a three pointer was changed to a deuce and the Cavs held on to win.

After the game, Ginobili was not happy.

For Manu, it's all about winning. A virtuoso performance has no meaning to him if his team is on the short end of the final score. It may have been a loss, but Ginobili showed his teammates the type of effort it is going to take to overcome the loss of Parker and stay alive in the playoff hunt.



Jefferson Providing a Boost off the Bench
by Bill Schoening | March 4, 2010

Spurs forward Richard Jefferson is trying to make the most of his recent move to the Spurs' second unit. Instead of looking at the move as a demotion, Jefferson instead sees it as an opportunity to provide a spark.

After a recent win over New Orleans, Jefferson said, "I now have a chance to sit back for the first few minutes of the game, and get a feel for what's going on out there."

Jefferson says he is also enjoying extra time on the floor with Spurs playmaker Manu Ginobili, who is adept at penetrating, drawing defenders and creating opportunities for himself and others. Jefferson's points, rebounds, free throw attempts, and field goal percentage have all seen an upswing in the past week.

It's a trend that RJ and the Spurs hope will continue as the Spurs navigate the challenging month of March.


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